Hunters have been using artificial means and methods to attract overflying waterfowl for years. Waterfowl can be attracted by both sight and sound. One method of attraction used by hunters has been the use and display of artificial waterfowl (“decoys”) floating on open bodies of water.
In earlier years, hunters (users) displayed “decoys” carved out of wood. Later, decoys were constructed using plastic materials. The decoys are typically built to the approximate size of an actual waterfowl, and then painted and designed to be displayed, and look like an actual duck. Typically, a user will set up in a location known to have ducks flying overhead. The user will typically either hunt from a boat, or from a concealed location on land that overlooks a body of water.
In order to attract the waterfowl to their position, the user will employ a variety of decoy rigs, or arrays, to display decoys. A decoy “rig” is understood to be either an interconnected series of multiple decoys, (a decoy array), or a collection of individual or solitary decoys located relatively closely to one another, but that are not interconnected. The user will either wade out from the shoreline and place the decoy rig in shallow water, or drop/throw the decoy rigs from their boat into deeper water.
One method used by hunters has been to put out solitary duck decoys on the open water, which are anchored in place under the water by a cord, or monofilament line, attached to a small weight. Another method employed by the user has been to put out a “longline” (also known as a “gang rig”) with multiple decoys attached, or interconnected, at various intervals along a longer rope that is anchored in place. In addition, hunters will use makeshift/homemade “net rigs” to give the appearance of a tighter configuration of ducks feeding on the open water. Still another method employs what is referred to as a “jerk rig.” Each will be explained in greater detail below.
Generally, the more decoys a user can display, the more likely it is that overflying waterfowl will see the decoys and perceive the decoys to be actual ducks congregating together to feed, etc. Thus, the overflying waterfowl are thereby lured to fly toward the decoys and within shooting range of the user. Once the user shoots a duck, they can deploy a trained dog to swim/run and retrieve the duck. Often, actual ducks will congregate together in a close, tight configuration to form a “raft” out on the open water. The ducks will raft together in tight proximity both before and after feeding. Typically, these rafts are formed in water that is too deep for wading by the hunter. Users have long desired to mimic this tight feeding configuration by using their own makeshift decoy rigs to display duck decoys.
One method hunters have used to create the tight rafting effect of ducks is by throwing individual decoy rigs close together in the water. The individual plastic decoy is anchored using monofilament line or cord and a lead weight on the end. Often, throwing (deploying) the decoys from a boat is required because the depth of the water is over the head of the hunter. When these individually thrown (deployed) decoys land in the water, if they should land too close to each other, they can frequently tangle because of the long cords, water currents, and wind. As a result, it is difficult for users to achieve the desired look of rafting ducks using the individual duck decoy displays.
Users also display multiple decoys by use of “longline” cords (gang rigs). The longline rig typically consists of a small line, such as, for example, a rope or paracord that is approximately fifty feet (50′) to one hundred feet (100′) or more in length. The rope is then attached to a suitable anchor (typically from about 3 to 5 lbs. in weight) on each end. Decoys are placed and attached at various intervals along the rope using metal clips and approximately three feet (3′) of leader. Using the longline method, the hunter is required to clip these decoys onto the line, and then drop the line into the water, either from a boat, or by wading out into a body of water and dropping them as they walk. There are problems with this method. It is difficult to display the decoys in a tight configuration without tangles developing in the line and among the decoys. The decoys are typically spaced four or more feet apart along the line, to keep them from becoming tangled. Typically, one end of the longline rig is anchored close to a tight group of separate decoys in a “net rig.” Passing ducks will see the decoys along the longline and “follow” it to what appears to be a group of ducks feeding. The longline rig is a useful way of deploying a lot of decoys quickly, but it does not achieve the tight rafting of ducks, as the decoys are typically four or more feet apart, and in a direct line.
An additional method, which is quite similar to the longline in decoy appearance, is the “jerk rig” method. This setup typically involves using only 3 to 4 decoys and a cord approximately twenty-five feet (25′) in length. The decoys are attached to the cord via clips that are spaced approximately four feet apart on the cord. The rig is then anchored on one end of the cord. Affixed between the anchor and the long line is a bungee cord. The hunter can then stand on the bank and pull or “jerk” the line. The bungee cord allows the four decoys to “swim” one way when the user pulls the cord, and then turn and “swim” the other way when the user lets go and the bungee pulls in the opposite direction. This method is not designed to mimic a “raft” of ducks, but is used to create the appearance of ducks in motion. This method is not generally used in open water hunting but is typically reserved for hunting in a swamp or among flooded timber. Ducks that frequent swamps or flooded timber areas are not known to “raft” up in the large numbers, as do ducks on open water.
The method used most by hunters to create the appearance of a close configuration of rafting ducks has been the conventional makeshift “net rig.” This method is concentrated primarily in eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia, as it was originally developed by commercial fisherman who used their old fishing nets. Normally, the user will obtain a commercial nylon or monofilament fishing net with a mesh opening size of ½ inch or more. The user then must individually attach dozens of decoys onto the fishing net, normally by using plastic zip ties. A standard plastic decoy is constructed with a ballasted keel underneath for assisting in maintaining its flotation on the water in an upright position. On a net rig, the user zip ties the decoy on both ends of the decoy keel and then has to attach it to the fishing net to prevent the decoy from moving and tangling. Because the decoy is attached on both ends of the keel, the decoy is not able to move and adjust to the water current as freely as one that is attached on just one end of the keel. Upon attaching the decoys to the net, the user must then thread a small rope around the perimeter of the net and attempt to make the net taught. Several loops must be tied in the perimeter rope to serve as corner attachment points for the anchors ropes. The user is then required to attach suitable (3 to 5 lbs.) anchors to at least four separate anchor ropes, and then tie the opposite end of each rope to each of the aforementioned loops in the perimeter rope. The upwind side of the net rig will require two (2) Danforth anchors, while the downwind side can use two (2) mushroom anchors. The user must first deploy both of the Danforth anchors by throwing the anchors in opposite directions, substantially simultaneously (therefore requiring the presence and work of at least two people). Once the Danforth anchors are settled and firmly anchored, the user will maneuver the boat down current. The user will then need to throw the two mushroom anchors as far apart as possible, in opposite directions. Deploying the net rig in this manner will provide the best chance for the net to remain taught. A taught net helps prevent the decoys from bunching together so tightly that they begin bumping into each other, and becoming entangled. Multiple anchors must be used because the standard fishing net is not made to be tight, but is rather designed to be loose in order to trap fish. As a result, the conventional makeshift/homemade net rig takes considerable effort to deploy, to achieve the desired look of rafting ducks. Deploying such a net rig can take twenty to forty minutes, or more, depending on the size of the net rig. Further, performing such a deployment in the early morning darkness can prove challenging, especially in challenging conditions such as, for example, high wind, strong current, rain etc.
A major problem for users of conventional makeshift net rigs is the occurrence of tangles. Tangles in the net rig can result from a number of different variables. Because the user of a net rig is typically required to anchor the net rig with four or more suitable anchors, even a directional shift in the water current can cause the net rig to tangle. Optimal use of the net rig also requires that at least two users be present for deployment to substantially simultaneously “throw” the anchors on each corner of the rig, in order to achieve a taught net. Three users are often necessary for a net rig deployment, especially in areas of high water current. The third user is needed to drive the boat against the current while the other two users deploy the net.
Deploying the net rig in deeper water also proves problematic for the user because of the amount of time it takes for the anchors to reach the bottom of the water. The delay in the anchors falling to the bottom causes slackness in the net rig. This causes the decoys to eventually begin bumping into one another, and the decoys in the net rig are no longer providing a true appearance of actual waterfowl. Because of the loose construction of the fishing net, the net rig can evolve into an hourglass shape if the anchors are not properly set. Additionally, users that hunt waterfowl in areas that are affected by tidal changes often must expend considerable effort to re-set the net rig as the water currents and tide shifts occur. This consumes additional time for a user, as the user must forego hunting until the net rig can be readjusted.
In addition, because the decoys are attached to the net at both ends of the decoy keel, they are unable to adjust to changing wind, water currents, and directions. Also, the nylon or monofilament mesh on the commercial fishing net has large openings in it. The large openings are problematic because the decoy can become stuck in various configurations when the decoy bills, or zip ties become caught in the netting. This can also require the user to expend additional time and labor fixing individual decoys prior to or during deployment, as well as having to tediously repair snags in the net. These issues can prove to be difficult, especially during cold, windy, and wet weather.
Hunting with a trained dog is also a major aspect of waterfowl hunting for many decoy users. Users often deploy hunting dogs to swim out towards the duck after it has been shot, in order to retrieve the duck for the hunter. When a duck has been shot, it can fall into the water, often near or within the duck decoy “spread.” The problem with the conventional makeshift net rig is that the dog risks being caught in the larger mesh openings of the nylon or monofilament fishing net if the duck falls near or into the net rig. This can prove fatal to the dog. Many hunters refuse to use, or are unable to use a makeshift net rig because of this danger alone.
While each of the above described devices and methods may be suitable on occasion for the particular condition to which they address, they are not suitable for reducing or eliminating the various problems and issues associated with their decoy use.
Hunting for waterfowl in open water can be a challenge to the decoy user, for many reasons. One of the major challenges is simply the fact that the user is often required to display a large number of decoys to attract attention from the passing waterfowl. Such a display can include anywhere from two dozen to ten dozen decoys. Each decoy is built to approximate the size of the true duck it represents. Multiple decoys can occupy a significant amount of square footage, and are cumbersome for the user to handle, store, transport, deploy, and remove from the water.
Working to display dozens of decoys on the open water is both grueling and time consuming, especially in colder temperatures. Duck hunting is often done in cold, inclement weather. Duck hunting season is generally held during the late fall and winter months. The hunter must use his hands as he deploys the decoys to the open water. Use of one's hands numbed by the cold weather can be difficult and painful. Users generally set up decoys on the water for their hunt in the early morning darkness. Strong water currents and high wind can make for good duck hunting conditions, but they can also create difficult conditions for deploying a conventional makeshift net rig and preventing entanglements. When an entanglement occurs, the user is required to make extensive use of their hands, wrists and fingers, which are often wet and numb when the weather is cold.
Whether the user deploys a single decoy setup, longline rig, jerk rig, or makeshift net rig, net and decoy entanglement is inevitable and undesired, as explained above. The bills and tails of the decoys can easily become wrapped up and tangled in any type of rigging currently being used by hunters. These methods increase the time required to deploy the decoys, the time to untangle them, and the time to remove them from the water.
The conventional makeshift net rig's propensity for entanglement also makes it difficult to store because the decoys cannot be easily removed. The decoys are zip tied tightly to the nylon or monofilament netting on the net rig, so the user typically leaves them on the fish netting when transporting and storing the net rig. As a result, decoys tend to bump into each other and are prone to paint chipping and discoloration. Removal of the decoys for storage is time consuming and difficult. Thus, the decoys on a conventional makeshift net rig generally do not receive the same care as those used on an individual decoy rig. It follows that the decoys used on a net rig frequently need to be repainted or replaced.
Methods and apparatuses to provide a cohesive, efficient, and safe method for organizing multiple decoys into a tighter configuration on the water, and for deploying them to, and removing them from the water are not known, but would be highly advantageous.